1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to cooling of electronic devices and components and in particular to cooling of devices and components within an information handling system.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continue to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes, thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
During system operation, the electronic hardware components of an information handling system generate heat. In order for the information handling system to properly function, these electronic components are required to remain below a certain temperature during operation. Thus, the generated heat has to be removed from the devices and/or the system. Conventional systems utilize fans and heat sinks to remove heat from the electronic components and in the process cool the different components of the information handling system. With the use of heat sinks, conventional applications attach the heat sinks to a surface of the device being cooled using an intermediate thermal interface material (TIM), such as silicone loaded with conductive filler material such as aluminum, for example. The TIM applied at the surface of the heat sink adds an amount of thermal resistance that negatively affects the overall heat removal efficacy of the heat sink. For example, the TIM can add as much as 50% of the total thermal resistance for a high performance heat sink. Additionally, the conventional silicone-based TIMs do not work well with and/or are impractical within immersion cooling applications, as the silicone tends to dissolve in the immersion coolants. An ongoing need exists for improved cooling of components utilized within information handling systems with consideration given for TIM solutions that can also operate in an immersion cooling environment.